Bottle carrier stripping apparatus



y 0 l. D. GLAZER 2,936,087

BOTTLE CARRIER STRIPPING APPARATUS Filed May 13, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR lrvmg D. G/azer ATTORNEYS May 10, 1960 l. D. GLAZER BOTTLE CARRIER STRIPPING APPARATUS Filed ma 13. 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F fg. 4

INVENTOR Irving D. Glazer ATTORNEYS BOTTLE CARRIER STRIPPING APPARATUS Irving D. GlazenDailas, Tex., assignor to Dara Pal: Corporation, Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application May 13, 1957, Serial No. 653,835 18 Claims. or. 214 310 be suspended therefrom b'y'relative longitudinal and transverse movement betweenthe carrier and bottles whereby said carrier is quickly and economically removed.

A particular object of the invention is to provide an iniproved bottle carrier stripping apparatus, of the character described, havin'g'means for feeding a case ofbottles and their associated or connected carriers to stationary means for lifting the carriers while holding the bottles against upward displacement whereby said bottles are separated from said carriers for movement with the case upon the feeding of a following case.

An important object of the invention is toprovide an improved bottle carrier stripping apparatus, of the character described, having reciprocal feed means arranged to engage one case of bottles at a time for advancing the same beneath a stationary stripper and being disengaged from the stripped case for engaging and advancing a following case whereby the'car'tie'rs are stripped automatical- 1y frorn'tli'e'bottles'. 7 r 7 A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features of the invention.

The'invention will bemore readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein an exampleof the invention is shown, and wherein:

I rig.- 1 is a top pas view of a bottle carriers'tripping apparatus construe-team accordance with the invention,

Fig; 2 is a side elevational' View of the apparatus, Fig. 3 is a perspective-view of'atypical carrier and its suspended bottles," I Fig. 4 is an enlarged; longitudinal, vertical, sectional view showing the stripping'of the carriers from a case of bottles,

- Fig.5 is-a transverse, vertical, sectional view showing the relationship of tlie elements prior to feeding of the case of bottles and stripping of the carriers",

Fig. 6" is a'schematic' view" showing the pressure fluid actuating means;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical, sectional view showing the mountingof the pusher plate, and v Fig; 8- is a side.- elevational view showing the pusher plate in position for engagement with a case of bottles to befed. g 1' i In the drawing t e numeral 10 designates the rec- (angular frame ofa bottle carrier stripping apparatus et'nnited States aim Y Body'ing tli e'p'r'inciple's oftheinvention and'iiicluding lioritransversely of said frame members (Figs. 2 and 5). The 1 lower ends of the posts 16 extend through the cross bars 17 externally of the frame members and are screwthreaded for receiving nuts 18 above and below said bars to permit adjustment of the elevation of the platform 15'. A horizontal base plate 19 is supported by the cross bars so as to underlie the platform between the posts. For guiding a case A of bottles B beneath the platform, a pair of substantially coextensive angle bars or rails 20 are carried by stanchions 21 upstandingfrom the frame members 11. The guide rails 20 are disposed inwardly of the posts immediately above the base plate U and have outwardlyflaring end portions 22tat the opposite or left-hand end of theframe 10. V

The bottles B are of the usual type having reduced neck portions N and are adapted to be suspended from a platelike bottle carrier C havingflexible jaws J for gripping the neck portions (Fig. 3'). Each carrier C is arranged tosupport a plurality of bottles B, usually six, and groups of earner-connected bottles, usually four, are mounted inthe case A for ease in handling. Due to thefiexible jaws J, the carriers may be stripped from the neck portions N by relative movement longitudinally of the bottles. As will be'explained, bottled-filled cases are adapted to be advanced endwise' beneath the platform 15 of the stripper 14 for lifting and separating the carriers from the bottles. A longitudinal extension or continuation 23 projects from the left-hand end of the platform beyond the posts 16 and has a plurality of longitudinal guide bars or members 24 depending from its underside in parallel, spaced relationship for receiving the bottles therebetween. As shown in Fig. 2, the guide bars 24 extend beneath the platform and may be coextensive therewith for reinforcing the extension 23. The left-hand ends of the guide bars project from the extension and terminate in elongated stripper elements or fingers 25 which have downwardly and outwardly inclined upper surfaces 26 for engaging the undersides of the bottle carriers between the bottles and at the longitudinal margins of said carriers.

Substantially coextensive holddown ribs or members 27 and 28 are carried by the undersides of the guide bars 24 and stripper fingers 25 for engaging the enlarged lower portions of the bottles B upon "engagement of the surfaces 261 of said fingers withthe undersidesof the carriers C (Fig. 4). The ribs 27 of the outer bars and fingers are substantially L-shaped and directed inwardly, while the ribs 28 of the inner bars and fingers are V-shaped for engaging bottles on both sides thereof (Fig. 5). Due to this arrangement, the bottles are confined against displacement upon advancement through the stripper 14. Since the inclined surfaces of the stripper fingers engage their undersides, the carriers are lifted'or pried from'the neck portions of the bottles upon such advancement. 'It is noted that the adjustable mounting of the platform 15 permits the stripper to accommodate bottles of diiferentheights. Although not shown, any suitable means may be provided for receiving the stripped carriers. i v,

For conveying or supporting the bottle-filled cases A, an angle bar 29 overlies and extends longitudinally of each fr'amemember 11 below the guide rail 20 and has its lower, horizontal flange directed outwardly and interposed between said frame member and the stanchions 21. The inner, upright flange of each angle bar 29' carries apluralityof'narrow'conveyor rollers 30whichai rollers extend from the left-hand end of the frame to the left-hand cross bar 17 so as to underlie the platform extension 23 of the stripper 14. As a result, the advancing cases ride from the rollers and slide over the cross bars and base plate. Although not shown, any suitable conveyor means may be connected to the righthand end of the frame for receiving the cases.

An upright pusher element or plate 31 is mounted for V reciprocation between the angle bars 29 and is adapted to engage the left-hand end of a case A for advancing the same through the stripper 14. The pusher plate 31 has a pair of .upstanding arms 32 and is carried by the outer end of a piston rod 33. Preferably, the pusher plate is adjustably connected to the rod 33 by nuts 34 screw-threaded on said rod. For reciprocating the rod and pusher plate, an air or other pressure fluid cylinder 35 is suspended beneath the frame 10. As shown most clearly in Fig. 6, the right-hand end of the cylinder 35 is pivotally connected to the underside of the right-hand end member 12 by a suitable bracket 36. This pivotal mounting permits the cylinder to swing about a horizontal axis relative to the frame so as to accommodate vertical movement of .the pusher plate. A flanged roller 37 is mounted on each side of the pusher plate, being journaled upon a transverse pin 38 having a nut 39 screw-threaded on its inner end (Fig. 7). To facilitate mounting of the roller 37, an opening 40 may be formed in the pusher plate.

A pair of upper tracks 41 extend longitudinally of the frame inwardly of the angle bars 29 and rollers 30 for receiving the rollers 37 and supporting the pusher plate 31 between said angle bars and in position for engagement with the end of a case A. The track 41 is of less length than the angle bars so as to terminate short of the ends thereof and has pivoted 'end portions or switches 42 and 43. A spring 44 is connected to the inner end of each switch 43, which has an intermediate pivot, for maintaining the switch in alinement with its track and permitting clockwise tilting of said switch. Counterclockwise tilting of this switch from its alined position is prevented by an adjustable stop 45 underlying its inner end. The left-hand switches 42 are pivoted at their inner ends and hang downwardly from the tracks. A pair of lower tracks 46 underlie the upper tracks 41 and have upwardly inclined end portions 47 and 48 which terminate in horizontal portions 49 and 50 beyond and below the switches 42 and 43. The inclined track portions 47 and 48 underlie the switches and, when said switches pivot downwardly, their outer ends rest on said inclined portions. A pair of longitudinal mounting plates 51 are provided for supporting the tracks, switches and associated elements and are connected to the frame members 11 by transverse braces 62. It is noted that the left-hand end of the cylinder 35 is supported by the engagement of the rollers with the tracks whereby a weight is provided for holding said rollers engaged with said tracks.

As shown in Fig. 4, the upper tracks 41 support the pusher plate 31 in position for engagement with the end of a case A and the case is advanced through the stripper 14 upon reciprocation of said plate toward the right. When the rollers 37 pass the intermediate pivots of the switches 43, said switches are swung clockwise into engagement with the underlying inclined track portions 48 to permit said rollers to ride onto the track portions 50. The force of the springs 44 immediately return the switches to their alined or horizontal position whereby the inclined track portions are cleared for receiving the rollers. It is noted that the intermediate pivots of the switches 43 are in substantially vertical alinement with the ends of the stripper fingers 25 so that said switches do not pivot clockwise until the carriers C have been stripped from the bottles B. Also, the track portions 50 support the pusher plate at suflicient elevation to engage the case.

Upon reciprocation of the pusher plate to the left by the rod 33, the rollers 37 ride down the inclined portions 48 beneath the switches 43, along the tracks 46 and up the inclined portions 47. It is noted that the pusher element passes beneath the cases due to the spacing between the tracks 41 and 46 (Figs. 2 and 5). Since the switches 42 are pivoted at their inner ends, the same are swung upwardly by the rollers to permit said rollers to ride onto the horizontal track portions 49. As shown in Fig. 8, the cases C are continuously supplied to the stripping apparatus whereby said cases follow one another. As a result, the upwardly moving pusher element engages and tilts the case following the case to be stripped until it passes from therebeneath upon reciprocation to the right. Although the switches 42 swing downwardly when the rollers ride onto the track portions 49, said switches direct said rollers onto the tracks 41.

For automatically reversing the reciprocation of the pusher plate 31, an actuator 52 is carried by the lower end of said plate and projects from each side thereof for engaging bleeder or remote control valves 53 and 54 at the ends of the stroke. The valve 53 is suspended from the left-hand end member 12 by a transverse angle bar 55, while a suitable bracket 56 connects the valve 54 to the left-hand end of the cylinder 35 (Fig. 4). A main control valve 57 is connected to the bleeder valves by lines 58 and 59 and to the ends of the cylinder by lines 60 and 61 (Fig. 6). The valve 57 has a conventional inlet for receiving air or other fluid under pressure and a pair of exhaust outlets. With this arrangement, pressure fluid is exhausted from the right-hand end of the cylinder and supplied to its left-hand end when the actuator 52 engages the bleeder valve 53 at the end of the left or outer stroke so that the pusher plate is reciprocated inwardly or to the right toward the stripper 14. When the actuator engages the bleeder valve 54,

pressure fluid is supplied to the left-hand end of the cylinder and exhausted from its right-hand end whereby the pusher plate is reciprocated outwardly or to the left away from the stripper.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1; Apparatus for removing bottle-carriers from groups of bottles which are individually held by the resilient jaws of the carrier which grip the individual bottles about their necks and provide a means to transport the bodies and which bottles as a group are positioned within a bottle loading-case comprising a plurality of inclined and downwardly turned stripper elements adapted at their outer end to engage the under side of the carrier at regions between adjacent supported bottles at approximately the neck region of the bottles and at their upper end to extend above the plane of the bottle tops, a plurality of hold-down ribs adapted to individually engage the supported bottles from opposite sides in a region below the bottle-neck and thereby to hold the bottles against longitudinal movement within the loading-case, and means to provide relative movement between the gripping fingers and hold-down ribs on the one hand and the loadingcase on the other hand so that the stripper fingers progressively separate the bottle-carrier from its the loading case.

2. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 wherein the to provide relative movement between thestripping fingers and hold-down ribs and, the loading case comprises a conveyor for progressively moving the loading :case in the direction of the stripper elements 3. The apparatus claimed in claim 1 comprising, in addition, a stationary support for fixedly positioning the stripper elements and the hold-down ribs, and means for moving in a substantially continuously manner the bottle loading case in the direction of the stripper elements-and relative to the hold-down means thereby to separate the 'bottle-carrienfrom' the bottles and the loading-case.

4. An apparatusfor stripping bottle carries from hottles adapted to be gripped thereby from their reduced neck portions by gripping jaw members including conveyor means to move a group of bottles and their carriers I gagement with a stationary'means, and means forconfining said advancing bottles against upward displacement upon relative lifting of said carrier from the bottles as the said stationary means diverges relative to the conveyor to separate said bottles and carriers.

5. A bottle carrier stripping apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the stationary means includes sloping elements for engaging the undersides of the bottle carriers between the bottles gripped thereby and wherein the stationary means has its surfaces in angular relation to the direction of movement of said bottles for lifting said carriers relative to said bottles.

6. A bottle carrier stripping apparatus asset forth in claim 4 wherein the confining means includes members depending from the stationary means for engaging the enlarged lower portions of the bottles.

7. A bottle carrier stripping-apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the bottle advancing means includes supporting means extending beneath the stationary means and means reciprocal longitudinally of the supporting means for moving the bottles beneath said stationary means.

8. A bottle carrier stripping apparatus as set forth in claim 7 including a pair of superimposed tracks extending longitudinally of the supporting meansfor guiding the reciprocal means, one of the tracks maintaining said'reciprocal means in position for engagement with the bottlesand the other track supporting said reciprocal means out of engagement with said bottles, and means at the endsof the tracks for establishingcommunication therebetween whereby said reciprocal means rides from one track tothe other at the end of each stroke. a

9. A bottle carrier stripping apparatus as set forth in 7 claim 4 wherein the stationary means includes a plurality of elements having inclined upper surfaces for engaging the undersides of the bottle carriers between the bottles suspended therefrom to lift said carriers relative to said bottles, the plurality of elements permitting the stripping of a plurality of carriers from bottles mounted in a case.

10. A bottle carrier stripping apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein the confining means includes a plurality of members depending from the stationary means below the elements for overlying the enlarged lower portions of the bottles.

11. An apparatus for stripping bottle carriers from bottles adapted to be gripped thereby at their reduced neck portions including a stationary stripper, conveyor means for advancing a case of bottles beneath the stripper, each bottle of the case being gripped at its neck portion by a plate-like bottle carrier, a plurality of elongated elements mounted on said stripper and extending longitudinally of the direction of movement of the case of bottles for receiving the bottles therebeween, the elements having upper surfaces inclined downwardly towardthe advancing'bottles to a position below the plane of the carrier H for engagement 'by the underside of the carrier to'dislodge the carrier from the neck portions of said bottles, and longitudinal guide means for engagement by said conveyor-advancing bottles so as to confine said bottles "against displacement as the stationary stripper dislodges said carrier from the bottles.

12. A bottle carrier stripping apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein the bottle advancing means includes reciprocal pusher means, upper track means for supporting the pusher means in position for engagement with the bottle-carrying case, lower track means for supporting said pusher means out of engagement with said bottles, the upper and lower track means communicating at their ends, and switch means pivoted at the ends of said track "means for directing said pusher means from one track means to the other.

13. Apparatus for dislodging carriers from bottles adapted to be gripped thereby at the reduced neck portion which comprises a support adapted to hold a plural-- Iity of bottlespositioned Within a carrying case, said supported bottles having a removable bottle-carrier gripping the neck portions of a plurality of the supported bottles in a region above the top of the support base, a bottlecarrier stripper spaced from the support for the bottlecarrying case, said stripper having a plurality of downwardly directed finger portions extending in the direction of the support for the bottle-carrying case to a position closer to the support than the plane of the lowermost surface of the neck-gripping bottle-carrier, means for establishing relative transverse movement between the 1 bottle-carrier stripper and its downwardly directed fingers and the bottle-carrying case over a distance at least equal to that of the bottle-carrier, means for holding the bottles positioned within the case to prevent movement thereof in a direction along the bottle longitudinal axis during relative movement between the bottle-carrier stripper and its fingers and the bottle-carrying case so that the bottlecarrier is dislodged from the neck of the carried bottles.

14. Apparatus for dislodging carriers from bottles adapted to be gripped thereby at the reduced neck portion which comprises a support adapted to hold a plurality of bottles positioned within a container, said supported bottles having a removable bottle-carrier gripping the neck portions of a pluralityof the supported bottles in a region above the top of the support base, a bottledcarrier stripper track generally parallelly spaced from the support for the bottle-carrying case and having a plurality of downwardly directed finger portions extending in the direction of the support for the bottle-carrying case to a position closer to the support than the lowermost plane of the neck-gripping bottle carrier, means for establishing relative transverse movement between the bottlecarrier stripper and its downwardlydirected fingers and the bottle-carrying case over a distance at least equal to that of the bottle-carrier, means for holding the bottles positioned Within the case to prevent movement thereof in a direction along the bottle longitudinal axis during relative movement between the bottle-carrier stripper and its fingers and the bottle-carrying case so that the bottle-carrier is dislodged from the bottles and moved along the fingers to a position on the stripper track spaced from the bottle case support, and means for restoring the initial operating position between the fingers, the stripper and the case support following the removal of the bottle-carrier from the bottles and for maintaining during the restoration period a separation between the said means 7 to an extent such that the bottle-carrier stripper and its downwardly extending fingers are ineffective to contact any bottle-gripping carriers.

15. Apparatus for dislodging carriers from bottles adapted to be gripped thereby at the reduced neck portion which comprises a conveyor adapted to move a bottle-carrier With'pairs of outwardly extending arms for gripping the neck portions of the supported bottles in a region above-the top of, the container and about the bottle neck, a bottle-carrier stripper having a track spaced from the conveyor by a distance greater than the height of bottles carried by the container, said stripper having a plurality of downwardly, directed finger portions extending in a direction of the conveyor for the bottle container to a positioncloser thereto than the plane of the neck-grippingbottle-carrier, means for moving the container along theconveyor for establishing relative transverse movement between the bottle-carrier stripper and its downwardly directed fingers and the bottlecarrying container over a distance at least equal to that of the longitudinal length of the bottle-holding container, means for holding the bottles positioned within the container against movement in a direction along the bottle longitudinal axis'during relative movement between the bottle-carrier stripper and its fingers and the bottlecarrying container so that the bottle-carrier is dislodged from the bottles and moved to a position corresponding to the spacing between the conveyor and the bottle-stripper clement, means for returning the container moving means to its initial operating position following the removal of the bottle-carrierfrom the bottles, means for increasing the separationbetween the said means during the return movement to an extent such that the bottlecarrier stripper ,and its downwardly extending fingers are ineffective to contact any. bottle-carrying components. I

16.-The apparatus claimed in :claim 15 wherein said container moving means comprises a reciprocating pusher element.

17. The apparatus claimed in claim 15 wherein the container moving means comprises a fluid operated reciprocating pusher element.

18. The apparatus claimed in claim 17 comprising, in addition, switch means adapted to be opened and closed at the end of each reciprocating movement of the pusher element. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 612,375 Bennett 0a. 11, 1898 823,751 Adshead Y June 19, 1906 2,608,308

Taylor Aug. 26, 19,52 

